Are You Ready For Your Model Home Tours
If the homeowners have done their job, a home for sale has been cleaned up, dressed up and is on display to invite home buyers to make an offer on their home.
The model home tours in the new construction developments are known for this. Every detail is impeccably staged by professional designers, you’ve seen them. The wall color, cabinets, countertops, appliances and every décor item is expertly coordinated and chosen for their ability to appeal to your emotions as you go through the model home tours.
If you plan on spending any length of time doing model home tours, you should start the process armed with as much information as possible. Let’s take a look at some of what you should think about before taking those tours.
Have Your Agent With You
The most important “thing” to bring with you when you go on the model home tours in these new home communities is your real estate agent. Now this idea may confuse you, because when you get there, you most likely will encounter the builder’s or developer’s on-site representative. Wouldn’t it be more convenient to use that agent? Well, are you looking for convenience or confidence with your purchase? The builder’s representative has a duty to look out for the best interests of their client and that would be the builder, not you as you check out their model home tours.
Next, bring your wish list with you. Lists will help to keep us focused on what’s truly important, what you really need and what you would like to have. At the end of the day this will help you avoid impulse shopping as you go through the model home tours. You may wish to take snapshots of the many features, so don’t leave your phone in your car. These snapshots may help you compare notes on the different model home tours you went on that day and help with your decisions.
While you’re at it, bring along a tape measure for your model home tours. If you forget, we have one for you to use. We’ll help you get accurate room measurements, wall lengths and closet sizes. If you have any furniture you need to fit into a room, measure those at home before you leave, write them down and bring that list so, together, we can see if your pieces will fit.
Location, Location, Location
Next on the list of things to do for your model home tours is to get the lay of the land. Location is everything when it comes to buying a home, so get to know the towns and neighborhoods before looking at the homes. Consider not only its location within or outside the city, but the surrounding conveniences and services that you are looking for.
Once you have found a potentially desirable place to call home, walk or drive through the neighborhood to get a feel for what it will be like when your new home is completed and to get an idea of which lots are better for what you are looking for. During the model home tours we will find out if that particular model can be built on the lot that you would like.
Interior Design At Its Best
Don’t fall in love with the staging they have in the model home tours. Many times, we see homebuyers lured into buying a new home simply because of the way it’s presented. I’ll admit, when you are looking at homes that are semi-built with only the studs and cement floors down, it’s more difficult to envision the layout and what it may look like after you are moved in. And those model home tours, in all their beauty, are to die for. But, remember, staging is meant to target your emotions. Try hard to look beyond the flashy design and trending paint colors of the model home tours and concentrate on how the layout and feel of the floor plan will fit your lifestyle. Try to imagine the same home with your furnishings and accessories. Here’s a tip, if you’ve found a model you are doing cartwheels down the hallway for, ask if the same model is available to see unfurnished or partially built.
If you’ve fallen completely in love with the way it is set up as you walk through the model home tours, request a breakdown of the upgrades the decorator used in the model and then find out what the cost to replicate them is. Don’t be shy when it comes to asking questions. And, if you have your own agent advocating for you, they are going to know what questions to ask.
Get Your Questions Answered
Questions like what home warranties are offered, the cost of upgrades that have interested you as you’ve gone through the model home tours, the type of financing offered and any incentives that might be associated with the financing. What are the community amenities, and what are the fees for those amenities? What is the building process and timeline for this particular builder and whatever other questions you may have during your model home tours.
So there you have it, considerations to make and prepare for taking those model home tours. The new-home buying process differs from buying an existing home. We’re happy to walk you through the process, so feel free to reach out to us at The Old Mill Group.
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